Category: Wine Country

Downtown Healdsburg, Barrel Tasting Weekend

Spring has arrived in Healdsburg—at least for today. Showers are forecasted for every day next week so I made a special effort to head out early and draw before winter reasserts itself. I drove downtown to Healdsburg’s square and easily found an interesting place to draw, standing on the grass next to Foss Creek and looking east between the Bear Republic and Hotel Healdsburg. Every plant, bush, and tree was in bloom.

The town of Healdsburg is known for its wine, and this weekend happens to be the 33rd Annual Barrel Tasting event. I could easily tell because the downtown area was bustling with people holding wine glasses and laughing while walking to the next winery. This event provides a unique opportunity to taste wine out of the barrel (and purchase futures) before it has been bottled.

After I finished my drawing, I drove a couple of blocks away to one of my favorite local wineries, Malm Cellars, for a taste of wine right from their barrels. Brendan and Amanda Malm own the winery where Brendan is winemaker. I tasted 2009 Russian River Chardonnay (Baccigalupi Vineyard); 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (Missy’s Vineyard); “name it” Red Zin a blend of four vintages (I put in my two cents with “Fourscore Zin”); and a tasty 2010 Dry Creek Valley Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc. All the wines I tasted were excellent and I couldn’t resist purchasing a few bottles. Looks like tonight its going to be a glass of Malm Sonoma County Pinot while I’m roasting chicken for dinner.

 

Soda Rock Winery, Alexander Valley

While most of the country is snow-packed, Northern California is enjoying unseasonably beautiful weather this winter (if you could call it winter). Yesterday we hit 80° breaking the 71° record of 2001. Typically during the months of January and February we get ten inches of rain, but it doesn’t appear we will get anywhere near those levels this year. With the rain’s absence, the sun has even tricked the magnolia, cherry, and plumb trees into blossoming early.

On such a nice day, Marilyn and I were unable to stay indoors and headed out to Alexander valley, one of the most beautiful places around and is located just a few minutes away by car. We stopped by the Jimtown store to buy a sandwich (turkey with garbanzo bean chipotle sauce on a french roll) for a picnic. From there we drove about a mile down the road and pulled into Soda Rock winery for a relaxing afternoon. While there, I sketched the road we drove in on. The old oak barrel beside the road is no longer used for making wine but makes a good sign to attract attention to the winery.

Picking and Painting Wild Blackberries

With a small basket and sketchbook in hand, I walk down the old fire road near my house to a hidden blackberry bush that’s bursting with ripe fruit. It feels good to get out of doors and breath in the fresh air. Even with the strangely cooler weather we’ve been experiencing this summer, (about 10 degrees cooler than normal) blackberries are in abundance and tastier than ever. As I walk closer to the bush, a shapeless mass of green, I smell a sweet aroma hovering in the air.

Today I plan to paint the blackberry bush before filling up my basket. Holding my art supplies in hand, I walk around looking for a good place to draw. Luckily, I find a spot under the shade of a tree. I admire the berries in various stages of ripeness with colors ranging from inky black to a brilliant red glowing in the afternoon sun. As I pull out my paints, a couple of curious bees stop by to see what I am up to but they soon buzz off to more important matters.

While letting the watercolor dry, I reach for my basket and pick the ripe fruit, berry by berry, carefully avoiding sharp thorns. Inevitably though the bush will poke me, reminding me of the pain that often accompanies life’s pleasures and keeps the easily intimidated away. I eat some berries right off the bush, enjoying each one’s distinctive taste. Some are soft and sweet, and some are firm and almost sour. But what I love most is the inviting fragrance that smells like a delicious perfume.

Chateau St. Jean Garden Sculpture

Seven members of the drawing group Rural Sketchers of Sonoma County met today at Chateau St. Jean Winery in the Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County, CA. The weather was perfect, the gardens were beautiful, and I drew this statue that was near a fountain. I used an SKB “James Jean” pen with my moleskin sketchbook. The SKB pen is perfect for drawing because of a feathery line quality  can be achieved with a light, brush like stroke. I had some difficulty making the drawing look like a sculpture rather than a real person because the sculpture looked so lifelike.

Alexander Valley

Yesterday I drove up Geysers Road just outside of Healdsburg looking for a good place to paint. I haven’t painted in a while mostly due to the wildly wet weather we’ve been having. About a mile or so up the road, I found a vineyard creeping up a steep hill overlooking the Alexander Valley. I pulled out my paints, leaned against the car for support, and began to sketch the landscape. Since returning from Greece, I have found drawing in Sonoma County different and I’m looking forward to rediscovering it. The light is different here and the country side is so lush with greenery compared to the almost desert landscape of Greece.

Clouds slowly drifted by and the crisp air kept my nose cold. I began to smell rain and looked North catching a double rainbow just beyond the next bend in the road. I put the last splash of color on my painting, I set my supplies down and I chased the rainbow up to where I could see it in its entirety. After a couple of quick pictures, the sky darkened. Large drops of rain splashed all around and I made a quick dash back to the car just before the downpour.